Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

Inclusive Settings In Belizean Primary Schools: A Focus On Teacher Practices, Katherine A. Curry, Jentre Olsen, Ed Harris, Candy Garnett, Dian Danderson

Journal of Global Education and Research

Educators in Belize are charged with ensuring that all Belizeans are given an opportunity to acquire a quality education that promotes personal development and productive citizenship. Consequently, Belizean law now requires all children from ages five through fourteen to attend at least eight years of primary school. Students with special needs have historically not received accommodations in the education system, so many teachers struggle with meeting the needs of students with learning disabilities in these inclusive settings. This qualitative case study explored teaching strategies and contextual factors in inclusive primary classrooms in Belize and was conducted in the form of …

How Will Having A W.I.N Room For Our Emotional And Behavioral Disorder Students To Access When They Are Needing A Break Affects The Number Of Room-Clearing Behaviors In A Week?, Samantha Streed

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Having the power to create the behavior program from the ground up, starting a “What I Need” (W.I.N) room at the elementary school where the researcher works. This is a sensory type of room with different tools and strategies that the students can use to calm their bodies or as we say have a safe and calm body. This room will be run by the researcher along with a paraprofessional that will be in the room all day to help support the students. This paraprofessional will also supervise the W.I.N Room if the researcher needs to leave to handle a …

Effective Inclusive Strategies For Students With Disabilities: Guides For General Education Teachers, Lynda Hawkins

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The Disability Education Act 2004 (IDEA) and Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) had given students with disabilities the right to be included in the general education classroom. With that comes a challenge for teachers as they must find ways to reach every student. The purpose of this project is to provide a way of achieving that goal.. The Buddy System, for example, is a supportive method for teachers. General education students are paired up with students that need assistance. These students take on the role of assistant teacher/mentor to help guide their peers through classroom activities and assignments. With everyone …

Identifying Common Resources Teachers Use To Address Problematic And Challenging Student Behvior, Joseph Clint Nicholes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Problematic and challenging student behavior has a myriad of negative outcomes for both educators and students. Although the implementation of Evidence Based Practices for classroom management have decreased these negative outcomes, educators are not utilizing them. The purpose of this study was to investigate which resources K-6 General Educators and Special Educators access to find information on behavior management strategies and procedures, as well as, their perceptions on those resources. We surveyed teachers from fourteen states in regards to what resources they used and the level in which they trusted, could implement, could understand and could find information on behavior …

A Discourse Analysis Of Parents' And Teachers' Social Constructions Of School Readiness And Transition To Kindergarten For Children With Disabilities, Ronica Senores Toyota

Education (PhD) Dissertations

This study examined parents’ and teachers’ social constructions of disability, school readiness, and the transition to kindergarten process for children with disabilities who participated in a self-contained preschool special education (SPED) class, called a special day class (SDC). The 12 participants included parents of children with disabilities (i.e., three with autism and one with Down syndrome), four preschool SDC teachers, two kindergarten SDC teachers, and two general education kindergarten teachers. They were recruited from a large urban school district in Southern California. Semistructured interviews were conducted to invite participants to share their experiences working with students with disabilities and their …

Closing Reading Achievement Gaps For Middle School Students, Michael D. Daugherty

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

This research examined how self-efficacy, collective efficacy, and professional development compared between core content and special education middle school teachers working with middle school students in reading comprehension and fluency. Accordingly, no statistically significant difference in teacher self-efficacy between core content and special education teachers was discovered based on the ANOVA analysis results. An analysis of professional development and collective teacher efficacy showed mixed results with a negative relationship predicted between increased professional development hours for core content teachers. A predicted positive relationship existed with the number of professional development hours increasing for special education teachers. There was no statistically …

Occupational Therapy's Role In Mealtime Participation In Schools, Jaidee Mae Reyes, Karen Park

Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium, Spring 2023

A mixed-methods research design was utilized to explore the role of occupational therapy in mealtime participation in school-based settings. Interviews and surveys were completed to understand occupational therapy practicers' perceptions, attitudes, and experiences with providing services related to mealtime. The themes that emerged from the study including (a) occupational therapy practitioners experience inhibiting and supporting contextual factors that affect their involvement in mealtime, (b) admin and occupational therapy culture and the interpretation of educational relevance can differ between each school, and (c) occupational therapy practitioners go through a decision-making process when deciding to address mealtime.

Employment And Career Planning Opportunities For Young Adults With Disabilities: Advocating For Occupational Therapy, Ashley Jenkins, Keisa Boykin

Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium, Spring 2023

Problem: There is greater involvement of OT in transition planning services to provide a unique, client-centered perspective to enable greater engagement in meaningful employment opportunities

Purpose: The purpose of this capstone project is to advocate for the role of OT in employment-based training programs for young adults with disabilities following their transition out of high school.

Calm Sr: Classroom Activities For Learning And Managing Self-Regulation, Corina Arroyo, Angela Labrie Blackwell, Mallorie Garcia

Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium, Spring 2023

CALM SR is a program developed for 3-4-year-olds to increase successful participation in desired occupations due to improved self-regulation skills. This program is designed for implementation in a preschool setting over the course of 9 weeks. This program incorporates activities that target sill acquisition across multiple domains. Activities are supplemented by literature, visual displays, modeling, and facilitation of the self-regulation process.

An Occupational Therapy Guide To Regulation And Resilience In The Classroom, Catherine Newton, Jazminne Orozco-Arteaga

Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium, Spring 2023

An occupational therapy educational program that focuses on increasing teachers' knowledge surrounding childhood trauma as well as promoting regulation and resilience in the classroom.

Improving Performance And Participation Of Elementary School Students Through A Coteaching Model, Carson Roberts, Angela Labrie Blackwell, Anna Fung

Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium, Spring 2023

This project explored the use of a coteaching program with a general education teacher and OTD student at an elementary school. The poster provides an overview of the methods used, an overview of the coteaching program that was implemented, and the significance and implications of this project. The purpose of this coteaching program was to develop a coteaching program in which occupational therapists and general education teachers work together in classrooms to improve performance and participation of students with and without disabilities.

Teachers' Perceptions On The Implementation Of Behavioral Intervention Initiatives In Alternate Schools: A Phenomenological Study, Teddrick Mccreary

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the teachers' perceptions of the implementation of behavior intervention initiatives in alternative schools. The theory guiding this study was the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) framework, as it suggested that teachers' attitudes and behaviors in learning or implementing new philosophies, resources, and methodologies would be addressed to proceed to higher levels of curriculum implementation. This phenomenological study investigated 13 teachers' perceptions of implementing behavior intervention initiatives at several alternative school campuses in the United States. Qualitative data collection methods included individual interviews, a focus group, and questionnaires with experienced teachers …

Differences In Job Satisfaction Between Special Educators When Controlling For Sense Of Community, Jennifer Casi Cooke

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Attrition among educators is a continuing concern in the area of special education. Job satisfaction has been associated with teacher burnout and teacher attrition. Many times, multiple educators work in a close environment creating a need for community in special education. The purpose of this study is to identify differences in job satisfaction among special educator roles, including collaborative general education teachers and inclusive special education teachers, as well as self-contained special education teachers and paraprofessionals, when controlling for sense of community. A quantitative, causal comparative design was used to determine differences among job satisfaction between special educators. The study …

Special Education Teacher Burnout: A Phenomenological Study Of The Challenges That Influence Motivation, Sarah Margaret Vaughan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the challenges that lead to special education teacher burnout and how these challenges influence the motivation of special education teachers in North Georgia. In this study, factors that lead to special education burnout were generally defined as potential challenges, such as quality teacher preparation, inadequate professional development, and lack of administrative support, and how these challenges impact motivation and extrinsic influences of special education teachers. The theory that guided this study was Deci and Ryan's (1985) self-determination theory, which allowed for a deeper understanding of motivation and how intrinsic and extrinsic …

Perceived Effectiveness Of Teacher Preparation For Teaching Students With Low-Incidence Disabilities: A Phenomenological Study, Shannon Lynn Feerrar

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to describe the participants' perceived effectiveness of their teacher preparation program and their experience of teaching students who are identified with a low-incidence disability. The theory guiding this study was the experiential learning theory. Kolb's experiential learning theory is based on the belief that meaningful experiences and reflection promote enhanced learning. The research questions for this study focused on teachers' perceptions of the effectiveness of their special education teacher-preparation programs. Eleven participants who have completed a special education teacher preparation program and currently teach students who are identified with a low-incidence disability …

The Formation Of A Guide For Licensed Educators Supervising And Supporting Paraeducators In Special Education, Catherine Parry

Doctor of Education (EdD)

According to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Oregon Administrative Rules, the work of paraprofessionals is required to be directed and supervised by a licensed teacher. While the typical licensed special educator is often unprepared for these duties, there are also very few accessible and applicable resources to support growth in this area. Through bracketing and memoing of literature on the topic, this content development dissertation examines what aspects of supervision and support of paraprofessionals should be included in a guide. It then proceeds to offer a succinct guide for licensed special educators on how to supervise and support …

General Education K-6 Pre-Service Teacher Candidates: Art Strategies Toolkit For Teaching Students With Autism In The General Classroom Setting, Kelly Jean Sullivan

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, Capstones, and Portfolios

This dissertation looked at the gap in pre-service general education teacher training in EBP for students with Autism and the effect the creative art learning mindfulness instructional toolkit (calmit19) intervention has on teacher self-efficacy when working with students with Autism.

Currently there is GAP, in the coursework that general education k-6 pre-service teacher candidates are getting trained in in order to teach students with autism in the general classroom setting. This action research study findings were that there is a need for additional training methods for pre service k-6 teacher candidates in art based evidence-based strategies.

The unanswered question is …

Alternative Techniques For Blind Low Vision Students Enrolled In Coding Courses, Robert Jaquiss

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

BLV (blind low vision) students face difficulties when taking coding classes. Individual Development Environments (IDE) can be inaccessible which make it difficult if not impossible for BLV students to complete coursework. Alternative techniques are described which will allow a BLV student to successfully complete coursework. The author has found the Command Line Interface (CLI) is often a recommended alternative to a Windows based IDE interface. Many blind computer programmers use the Windows and Linux command interfaces which are described as part of this discussion.

The Texas Reading Academies And The Experiences Of Teachers Who Instruct Students With Disabilities: A Phenomenological Study, Suzanne S. Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

To build today's students' reading skills, teachers must know effective instructional reading practices. Therefore, the purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the experiences with learning and incorporating the elements of the Texas Reading Academies with a focus on language comprehension by teachers who instruct students with disabilities in Texas. The Texas Reading Academies' goal is to provide teachers with reading instructional practices grounded in the science of reading. The theory guiding this study was Malcolm Knowles' adult learning theory, with the central research question asking what the experiences of teachers who instruct students with disabilities were with …

A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Of Connective Experiences Between Elementary Teachers And Parents In A Virtual Setting, Amy J. R. Truett

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand how connective experiences are built between elementary teachers and parents in a virtual setting at the ABC school district in the southeastern region of the United States. The theory guiding this study was Siemens’ connectiveness theory, as it explored the students' knowledge impacted by the connective experiences of the network of elementary teachers and parents in accessing their learning and success in the virtual school setting. Three essential research questions focused on the connective experiences between elementary teachers and parents in the virtual setting in the southeastern part of the …